Rain expected to aid firefighting
Cause of fires determined for all but one. Two of the three N.C. blazes were caused by power lines while the cause of one is yet to be determined. Both of the S.C. blazes were caused by humans.
Down Ballot Staff Reports
Firefighters continue to make progress in containing the fires in both North and South Carolina.
Rain is expected for the fire-effected areas Sunday night which should aid in containment efforts.
According to a statement from the North Carolina Forest Service, the 199 acres Fish Hook fire is 100 percent contained.
The Black Cove and Deep Woods are 3,502 and 3,971 acres, respectively.
The Black Cove Fire is 36 percent contained while the Deep Woods Fire is 32 percent contained.
The cause of the Black Cove and Fish Hook fires were power lines while the cause of the Deep Woods blaze is under investigation.
"Fire behavior continued to be minimal today due to the high humidity and minimal winds. Primary objectives are patrol, mop-up operations and suppression repair," a spokesperson from the N.C. Forest Service said in a written statement. "With the impacted area primarily being in steep terrain leading to waterways, these repair activities can go a long way toward mitigating environmental impacts to the streams and rivers, such as sedimentation."
Evacuation levels are constantly being assessed based on fire activity. For updated or current evacuation notices for Polk County, please refer to Polk County’s website. For updated or current evacuation notices for Henderson County, please refer to Henderson County’s website.
In South Carolina, both the Table Rock and Persimmon Ridge fires in Pickens and Greenville counties were determined to have been caused by humans, according to a statement from the South Carolina Forestry Commission.
As of the Sunday statement from the S.C. Forestry Commission, the Table Rock Fire is 10,894 acres plus an additional 574 acres that are in Transylvania County, N.C.
The fire started March 21 and is nine percent contained.
The Persimmon Ridge Fire is 2,078 acres and is 24 percent contained. It started on March 22.
Mandatory evacuations are in still in place for some residents of Greenville County. Evacuations are now voluntary for Pickens County. For more information about evacuations, call 864-467-3428.
